Undertone
by XxJuStxN0thInGxX
Summary: At times, blood is everything both a way of life and of death, and at others it is nothing. KeixSho Dark themes, blood, adult situations
1. Part One: What You Wanted

(As usual I was watching Moon Child and all of the sudden I got hit with a fic idea so, yes, I had to write it down.

This section takes place between the scene of Kei's embrace of Sho and Toshi's death.)

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**Undertone: Part One**

"You don't drink blood these days."

Kei felt a flare fire through him, readying himself for defense. "It's none of your business." Then followed the explanation he had to give, but knew Sho would have none of. Kei did not want to have this conversation. They'd talked of this same thing on many occurrences, even when Sho was young.

The first time was when Sho was ten, and Kei had felt a strong surge of guilt. He couldn't take blood, simply because of the child always at his side. He had not wanted Sho to see him eating, ashamed of it. He'd gone weeks without blood until he grew so weak that he collapsed. Sho asked what was wrong but Kei refused to tell him, saying that he only needed rest.

The ten-year old asked no more questions and left him alone, returning in the middle of the night with an old, rusty tin can that he held out quietly to the vampire.

Kei had been unable to lift a hand to take it, asking what it was. Sho hadn't answered, climbing instead into the adult's lap, pressing the jagged rim to his lips, tilting it up to let Kei drink the content. When the first sweet drop touched his tongue Kei drew back, bewildered. It was blood.

He demanded to know where, how, and who from Sho had managed to obtain it but again the boy gave no response. Kei would not take it so the kid dipped two fingers into the red, spreading it over Kei's lips. "Drink, please," he muttered and the vampire listened.

The blood was enough to give him enough strength to hunt. Sho never answered him on how he'd attained the blood, but the boy limped on his left leg for the following two weeks, not letting Kei see what was wrong with it, but one night he saw the scar of a long, deep cut in the boy's calf. He did not question him.

From then on Sho always knew when Kei had not fed and always brought it up in worry for his friend. Eventually though, it would not happen anymore. Kei leaned forward, letting his fingers wrap around the thin poles that ran up from the floor to the ceiling. "One day you'll die..." Sho would grow old. With every breath he took, with every second he was aging. Kei, however, would always remain the identical. "...But I'll keep living." He'd have to go on alone, without company, without the friendships he had now and valued above anything else. "Do you think that's fun?!" The shout resonated.

He'd already had to go through it once, after Luka stayed to watch the sunrise on the beach. He did not want to face that solitude again. If Sho had not found him he would have let himself burn, let himself be put out of desolation.

A tear escaped from the corner of Sho's eye, slipping down the soft skin. Kei sighed, his momentary outburst fading quickly from him. He walked around to Sho, leaning down to touch the side of his face. "You crybaby." Lightly he stroked a thumb over Sho's right cheek, erasing the tear streaks. He reached to press a palm to the back of the younger man's head, drawing it against his chest. "Just like when you were a little kid."

Kei's fingertips scrubbed along the back of his head, nails scraping pleasantly at the delicate skin. Sho blinked tears from his eyes, holding back the silent sobs. His arms were loose at his sides despite his desire to lift them up and wrap them around the waist of the other.

When Kei pushed him back by the shoulders, against the wall, he gazed up into the eyes of the vampire for a brief moment almost in hope.

"So, go have a good time. They'll be worried."

Sho was about ready to snap back but raised a hand instead, wiping his eyes. It was difficult to have fun when he knew Kei would be trapped in their home, suffering. He knew that Kei wanted to go to support Yi-Che and congratulate her for her beautiful painting.

The boy turned away, but Kei caught his face in his hands, moving it back so he could look at him. "Look at me Sho," he said when the younger dropped his gaze. "I want you to go. They'll want you there. Tell Yi-Che what a wonderful job she's done."

Sho did not respond. There was almost no pleasure in being out without Kei. He'd been with the man so long he could barely recall the years without him. Any important occasion, they had shared together, and this would definitely count as one of them. However, there was nothing to be done. "I'll go if you eat tonight."

Kei scowled and pulled away. "Where you listening to what I said? I can't! You have no idea what this does to me. I can't even think about it." Fleetingly, his gaze flickered to Sho's throat.

"Then don't think about it!" Sho answered firmly and stood up, glaring down at Kei with his dominant height. "I would much rather have some worthless punk be dead than you. I don't want to lose you, Kei! I'm closer to you than I am to Shinji. And what am I supposed to tell the others? 'I'm sorry but Kei won't be around us any more because, oh, did we forget to mention he's a vampire and his refusal to drink blood ended with him starving to death? But don't worry, I'm not fucking _insane_!'"

Kei winced as Sho shouted the last portion. "I'll be fine," he insisted. "Just let it alone for a couple days..."

"In a couple days you won't be able to move! I know you. You'll wait until you can't do anything and then I will have to drag a body to you and force you to feed. Maybe I should just let you starve!"

"Sho..." he reached for the boy, but his hand was quickly slapped aside.

"You want to be left alone, so I'll go. Son and Yi-Che will be waiting for me. Toshi's supposed to be coming too," he said and walked away, grabbing his black leather jacket from the spot where it'd been tossed the previous night on an armchair. "Have fun sitting here alone, dying."

"Sho," Kei called his name lightly again and the younger paused at the doorway. "To someone else, you might be that worthless punk..."

The brunette scowled and slammed the door on his way out.

Kei sighed and settled down where Sho had been seated. Sho just didn't understand. The boy thought he knew how Kei felt, but no one could have nearly enough empathy. Yes, they were both used to death. Once a month, at the very least, they would go out on a job Toshi found for them and murder.

Murder: that is their line of work. He should be used to it by now. Sho hardly gave it thought anymore, able to turn the point of his gun on anyone and pull the trigger. It's a habit and during the gang battles Kei knows he has no trouble either.

So, then why? Why couldn't he do the same and kill off another to keep himself alive? There was no different, and yet it was all the difference. The gunfights were instant, implanted. He didn't need to think about it. If he saw someone with the threat on their face then he could blow them away. He couldn't die from being loaded with bullets, but the others could. Toshi could, Son could, and Sho... Sho could. He was there to protect them, all of them.

There were nights when he grew too worried. They would have a job lined up and he would go to Sho minutes before leaving and beg him – BEG HIM – not to go. To see Sho injured was more than sufficient. To see him in pain and see and smell his blood staining his clothing from wounds, dribbling to the ground to waste, it tore at him each time. Every now and again he'd be overwhelmed with feelings of dread, of the fear of losing Sho to the hard metal of a shell, just as he was overwhelmed now.

Sho would never agree to stay behind, but Kei would stay close on those nights, watching him with caution. Often times he would end up with several holes shot through him because of it.

Sho would always scold him afterward, demanding to know how he could get hit when he could run fast enough to bypass a runaway train. Kei would only shrug his shoulders in response, lighting a cigarette to avoid giving an answer.

Maybe that was what he needed: a good gun fight. They were dangerous, bloody and _fun_. He needed to lose himself in excitement, added that there were always a good supply of blood donors in the following. He wouldn't feel as guilty as they would be either dead or dying, or so he hoped.

The vampire glanced toward the heavily-curtained windows, always drawn shut in the day to protect him from the deadly light. He could tell from the lightened tint the dark material held that the sun still shone bright and cheerful outside. Years ago, before he'd been turned he would have died to have a day like this to go out in. Now if he did have a day like this to go out in he would die. That was simple irony working its way into life.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back against the wall, wanting to relax. Maybe Sho was right, and he needed to not think about it. He'd been fastening for more than a week and though he did his best not to display it he had grown rather frail. He'd call Toshi later and ask him if he knew if there was anywhere they could go to for work. It would definitely loosen him to fight before eating himself out to eat. For now he would rest, soon falling into an uneasy sleep.

Kei jerked his head up at the first sound of it. He'd trained himself to pick up the near silent patter of the beginning of rain, but it seemed too good to be true. The thing he noticed before all else was that the room had darkened slightly. In a millisecond he was tearing the curtains from the window, not caring if he might be mistaken in his assumption.

But no, he was right. The sun had slinked behind dark, heavy clouds which were starting to release droplets. He loved the rain, the overcast, the fog and all that in the same category. They meant he could go outside during the day.

Within a minute he was out while everyone else on the streets scampered in. His direction was set and he walked straight for the local park where Yi-Che had completed her mural. The group would be missing him and he wished to be with them. He forgot his worries during the time they all spent together, able to enjoy himself as if he were no different.

He did not hurry for one of many reasons. There was nowhere they could go that he could not find them. In addition, he did not want to draw attention to himself, and he had plenty of time. It was already a couple hours past noon and the clouds did not look as if they would be clearing up anytime in the near future.

His legs carried him along the streets, strides short but brisk, his red hood pulled over his head to protect him as best as it could from the rain. He felt the water seeping through his clothing; moist on his arms, shoulders and back.

It was oddly calm. No one else was around. It made him uneasy. The park was ahead, in his view, and he picked up his pace by a step or two. That was when he heard the gunshots.

Fear coursed through him, the familiar feeling of the unknown with so many different possibilities making itself know. Kei broke into a run, forgetting the abilities of speed that came with his vampirism. He arrived upon the scene at the sharp crack of another shot, his gaze darting around as he paused, a hand on the trunk of a tree.

"Toshi!!!"

His eyes snapped up at the voice he knew so well, and he saw Sho, the boy being held back by Son and Yi-Che. Just to the right, several feet from them were two gang bangers and beside them he was Toshi kneeling, his wrists handcuffed.

The fear quickly morphed into something stronger, and he could feel his blood growing hot, moving swifter through his veins. Blood. His mouth parted and a slick pink tongue slid from it, moistening his lips. Hunger added to his anger, the two mixing into pure fury.

He distantly heard Toshi shout, unable to make out the words. Whatever it had been the two men turned to Toshi, one of them extending an arm, a gun poised in hand, ready to set off a bullet. Kei's vision zoned in, and all instincts took over, driving him forward, up, but his strength wasn't there. His foot collided with one of their shoulders and it was more than enough to send his balance off, his side slamming hard against the ground.

Streaks of pain went through his side. He tried to push himself up, but the tremors took toll on his already weakened body. Looking up he saw a pistol now pointed at him, and yet the hint of a smirk flashed across his lips. It faded quickly when Toshi jumped in front of him. _Baka._ The word ran through his mind, repeated. _Baka. _He couldn't die from being hit, Toshi knew that!

Before Kei could push him out of the set-bullet path it was fired. Again, Sho screamed their friend's name. Sho... the others, they were still vulnerable. The notion drove him to his feet and although he swayed on them he was determined to defend his companions. Once more he found himself at gunpoint, an idea flashing through his mind as he leapt, taking the air to come down behind one of the two offenders. He grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place for less than a second but it was enough. He felt the man's body buckle as it took a slug, and he let go, letting him fall.

He drew the other away, the scent of blood now thick in the air, driving his famine. He'd held himself back too long and now it was coming out. Here was a ready-made excuse. Using the little control he had he took out the man further, into the more sheltered part, between trees and bushes, away from sight. The others did not need to see. Sho did not need to see.

"You're a dead man." Kei heard the words hissed to him and yet once more a gunshot echoed. It was perfect in aim, but the vampire avoided it easily and within seconds he was upon the man, the nameless stranger.

Firstly, Kei knock the gun from his hand, fingers winding around his wrist to jerk quickly, twisting with sharpness and strength, and there was another loud crack, the unmistakable sound of bones breaking. _He shot Toshi... He killed Toshi... He killed my friend... He deserves the same._ Kei knew he could kill him so easily with just his hands, snap that fragile neck in half, but it would mean wasting such a precious thing.

Neck... his eyes locked on that stretch of flesh, the skin so weakly protecting the exposed throat. Oh, how he wanted it, wanted the taste of it, wanted the energy of life. He struck, mouth open to clasp down beneath the Adam's apple, his lethal fangs sunk deep into the tissue, tearing it open.

And he tasted it, tasted the coppery flavor of the blood that was so sweet on his tongue, smearing over his mouth. He drank greedily, letting it flood his mouth as he drew out the bodily fluid. He was barely aware that the man let his weight collapse, going with him to the muddy soil. His surroundings did not come to his notice, mattering so little, but he could sense the presence of others.

Kei tore his mouth from the throat of his prey, glancing upward. He saw Sho, saw the almost dull expression on his face that looked almost like disappointment. _This was what you wanted. You wanted this Sho!!_ He wanted this thing to come out and eat, to drink blood.

Frenzy overcame him and he couldn't stop, plunging back down, sucking in more and more, filling himself with his meal. He could feel in dripping down his chin, escaping his ravenous mouth. His tongue darted out to catch loose droplets, then once again he extracted mouthful after mouthful. He wanted all of it, every speck of the warm, addicting red liquid. This was life. This **_was_** life. Blood was life.

"Kei..." He heard his name, but it too held no importance. He was not Kei. He did no longer exist. He was not a vampire. He was blood. He was life. "Kei, stop it."

Stop it? Why? Delirious of starvation, he could not stop. He needed more, still more, always more. One body would not be enough, he wanted more. "Please stop! Please Kei!" The taste of the blood was too holding, too good, and it awoke his craving. He had no desire to control the impulse of the hunger, wanting to satisfy it. There was a still lot of blood left in his victim. "Toshi's dead!" Yes, Toshi was dead. And this man had killed him. He deserved to be drunk from, to killed slowly, suffering in the pain of the bite, feeling strength being drained from him with Kei's every swallow.

Because he could feel it. He could feel the heart start to slow its beat, feel the blood being drawn from each cell to supply his need. He could hear it flowing with a weak pulse. "Stop it please..." There was no stop. Not until he'd reduced the body beneath him to a withered corpse. It was too drawing, too beckoning. There was desperation in Sho's voice, but Kei could do nothing for it.

"Please... stop..." Kei did not listen, drinking, feeding, tearing further at the flesh with his teeth so more would flow until no more came. He licked the blood, catching the final few drops that were just as sweet as when he'd first taken the bite. And finally he ceased, turning his face up, blood smeared over his mouth, drops of it splashed across one cheek.

His eyes met Sho's; witnessing the listless look they bore. Yi-Che had buried her face in her brother's chest, unable to watch while Son also looked away, attempting to comfort his sister. Sho stayed unmoving, blank glazed eyes on Kei.

_This was what you wanted Sho_. Kei thought. _This was what you asked of me. _

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(There is a second segment, and possibly - as I have been asked a third.

Please comment for the sake of Hyde's sanity, he did fanservice with Ken during the L'Anniversary performance... he's losing it... 3)


	2. Part Two: What I Gave

(Warning: Mature content in this chapter, yes of that kind. Meaning adult situations between two men. If you don't approve, you do not have to read it. Thank you.)

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**Undertone: Part Two**

Kei toweled his hair, changing his clothes and throwing the wet shirt and pants into a laundry hamper as he slid into a dry pair of jeans. Sho wasn't there. He and Son had gone to take care of Toshi's body, and without doubt Son would have some questions to ask.

He hadn't wanted them to see him like that. He could have kept it secret forever. At times it was too much having Sho know about him. At times he wished he could hide what he was to himself and be alone with it. He couldn't go through the rejection. He'd seen the way the others had looked at him when he'd finished drinking. They looked at him with accusation as if it had somehow been his fault that Toshi was dead.

He did not want to face them again after that. He'd fled from all of them, unable to take it, not wanting the questions that were sure to come. He did not want to endure whatever Sho would come to him with... It wasn't the first time he had let his control slip away.

He caused the boy so much pain, mental, physical and emotional. Sho spent all his energy putting up with it; making sure Kei ate and was healthy, making sure he had proper rest, neglecting his own needs along the way. Occasionally Sho would become so concerned for Kei, whatever the reason, that he'd become ill. He would forget to eat, forget to sleep, depriving himself of the many things that he needed. And it would all keep repeating, because Kei knew he wasn't going to change who he was and neither would Sho... But he didn't want to hurt Sho anymore. The boy needed to go on by himself. He had his own life to live and it did not involve Kei.

The man glanced around the room he was in, taking in all the fine detail. The light furniture arranged neatly, the hand-woven rug, the creamy walls, the lamps and the dark curtains...

He remembered vividly how he and Sho got the house a little over a year ago. The boy had been so excited about it. Before it, they'd moved constantly from cheap hotel to cheap hotel, rundown apartment to rundown apartment. They were always taking a portion of their earnings and saving up little by little.

Then a day slightly over fourteen months ago Sho'd come to Kei, a secretive grin on his face and a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Guess what?" He'd asked playfully. "I found the perfect thing that you could get me as an early birthday present. It'd be for both of us, actually..." They bought the house a week later. It wasn't huge or fancy but it was home. Yet sooner or later everyone has leave home.

Kei grabbed his jacket and slid his arms into the sleeves of it. He strode swiftly through the house to the front door, pausing when he saw his gun on a tabletop in the living room. Walking to it, he curled his fingers around the handle, lifting it to trace to trigger and barrel. It _had_ been lots of fun. "But it won't last forever," he murmured to himself quietly then carelessly tossed the weapon back onto the tabletop. It rebounded off the surface with a loud sound then skidded, stopping an inch from the opposite edge.

The vampire turned away then started in surprise. Sho was standing in the doorway to the room, leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest, clothes and hair still damp from the earlier rain. The look he held was piercing. "Going somewhere?" he questioned.

"I'm leaving," the older man replied, not meeting Sho's eyes as he strode past him but Sho stopped him, grabbing Kei's left shoulder determinedly.

"And going where?"

The same exact question had run through Kei's mind several times. "Anywhere." It was not as if he had never been on the streets by himself before. He'd handled it and he could do it just as well this time. "Out of here." He couldn't bear to stay any longer.

"Then you should have gone while I wasn't here. I'm not going to let you walk out away. One mistake and you're running away?"

"I'm not running away!" Kei's voice rose. "I just..." He searched his mind for a reason, any reason. "I can't take it anymore, this cramped lifestyle. It's making me sick, everything," he lied. "And you're a damn bother."

A flicker of internal pain went through Sho's eyes and Kei knew it had been the wrong thing to say. He hadn't meant it. If he could push Sho away it would make leaving easier, wouldn't it? He hadn't expected the boy to return. He had planned to just get out without anything preventing him. So now, this was a problem. "Sho I didn't m-" Sho cut off his words.

"Do you think that's going to help? If you want to insult me, go ahead," answered Sho. "Tell me every little thing about me that bothers you. I can take it. I'm not going to break."

"Sho I-"

"No, please Kei. Tell me all about my faults!"

"Sho..."

"Tell me!"

"You're so stubborn!" Kei snapped without the full intention, it just blended in with the moment. Yet, it was true. Sho was stubborn, this being proof if anything. "You never know when to quit."

"That's right, keep going," Sho urged.

There was no way to get out of it now, so he continued. "You smoke too much."

"I wonder who I picked that habit up from," Sho countered.

"You're too loud and rambunctious," Kei listed.

"You were the one that raised me."

"You're always getting hurt or wounded."

"That's easy for you to say, being immortal." They snapped back and forth. Kei provided a wrong and Sho found a way to correct it, a way to defend himself.

"You're flirtatious with any decent-looking woman that you lay your eyes on," Kei muttered in disapproval. It had always been something that bothered to the core.

"Can you blame me for living a little?" Sho questioned.

"You think that you know everything!"

"Oh, we both know that's bullshit."

"You're reckless, annoying, childish and careless. You never listen and never do as you are told. You're always getting in the way. You think that you can get away with anything but you can't!" Kei said. "You're such a fool. You cause trouble and get caught, then everyone else has to get involved in order to save your ass. And you can never seem to do anything right."

"Come on, there's got to be more!" Sho yelled back, but by the tremors shaking through his body Kei could tell he'd taken it too far. "Say how much you hate me!"

"I wish I did, Sho. I wish that right now I could hate you!"

"Then why can't you?" The younger of the two demanded, taking a step forward to grab Kei's shoulders, gazing down hard into the vampire's eyes. "Why don't you hate me?! I don't think it would be too difficult for you!"

"Because I love you!" He broke, meeting his gaze firmly. It wasn't an accident. Those words hadn't slipped out on their own. He had meant to say it. The air of argument around them faded in that instant. He lifted his hands to push Sho's off his shoulders but the other man resisted, not letting his grip slip.

For the second time in the day, tears began glistened in Sho's eyes as he hung his head. The transition of emotions was so swift, yet almost unnoticeable. "Please Kei... I need you. I can't do everything on my own. You said it yourself; I can't do _anything _on my own!" Kei was always there to save him, to laugh with him, to scold him, and to care for him.

"I can't always be there for you," the older man replied and Sho looked up.

"That's not what I'm asking! I'm asking for you to be there some of the time!" he said firmly. "I won't know what to do without you... Please..." he said quietly, his tone now soft. "Just stay."

Kei dropped his gaze, feeling Sho's hands tightened ever so slightly on his shoulders. How could he stay? "Sho... What if I'd waited?" he murmured the question. "What if I'd waited and then bit Yi-Che or Son or... or you? What if I was too weak and been able to get there in time? I was already too late for Toshi! Just a little while longer... and all of you..." He could have saved Toshi. If he had been in his regular condition he could have so easily taken out both of the gang bangers before they could have let a single bullet fire. Self-pity cost him the life of a friend, and now guilt layered on. "You could have all been..." He could not bring himself to say the word, avoiding it. "... All because of me."

"Kei, look at me." It was Sho's turn to say the phrase. "It's not your fault. None of us could have done anything about it. We messed up. We got ourselves into trouble and it came back at us. If you leave, it would be as if... as if you hadn't been there today. We all needed you."

Kei shook his head in response. "You... I can't. I let myself get away. I lost it. All I could think about was to kill him. I just wanted to cause him pain. I just wanted him to hurt and suffer." He gazed up. "I saw the way they looked at me when they saw and the way you looked at me.But I couldn't stop. I had to keep going. I had to drink _every last drop!"_ He bit his lower lip, chewing at the skin. "I heard you, but I didn't want to stop. I say that it's horrible, what I do, taking the life of others... I say that and I know it... but I like it. I like the taste and the feeling of it. I want it... I want blood," he whispered then glanced to meet Sho's eyes. He had expected that same expression of disappointment, the same blank stare he'd seen earlier but instead he saw only sorrow, the tears barely clinging to the lashes. "Sho, I..." he paused and lifted his hands to place them on the sides of Sho's face, leaning up to kiss the corner of an eye, the salt of the tears moist on his lips.

He felt Sho relax, all his muscles slacken and loosen. "You're still just a kid," Kei said. "One day you're going to have to learn to grow up. You're going to be left on your own a lot, start learning now. It's not like it's something new," he continued then let go, but Sho caught his wrists, holding them gently.

"Don't..." he mumbled. "Stay... tonight." Unsure of what to say he stumbled with the words, not knowing if he should offer an explanation or keep silent.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Kei questioned. "If you think you can convince me-"

"Please Kei!" The tone of his voice sharpened, and the grip he had on Kei's wrists tightened. "I-... I want you here. I need you with me."

Smiling sadly, Kei took his hands from Sho's hold and slid them over to lace their fingers. Without a pause, hesitation or thought he leaned up and caught Sho's lips with his own, hearing the quiet gasp of response. Kei had no doubt about his forward action. He was able to read Sho like a book after their years of being together, able to detect any lies, grief, happiness, secrets or desires in the boy.

The kiss was slow, soft, undemanding. It was the simple gesture of infatuation that a kiss was originally intended to be. Although his affection surpassed of a close friend or a brotherly love Kei had never lusted after Sho. He would admit the romantic attraction, but he had never taken it as far as **_need_** for he knew it would be scaling too high. So he kept it subtle, all actions, thoughts and emotions under control.

And now, for a moment, he could let it come out. When he broke away his eyes met Sho's again, and wordlessly, they formed an agreement, joining for another kiss. They exhaled sweet warm breaths between each oral caress, and Sho slid a hand up a hand from Kei's left shoulder up along the back of his neck to weave his fingers with the blonde's hair. They'd always understood each other.

Again, there were no words spoken when the two separated. Sho's expression took hold of a firm determination and Kei knew what he wanted. Sho never really hid his emotions. At the times that he tried he did it well. He would mask himself so that what he showed could contrast as the exact opposite of what he sincerely felt and no one would know the difference.

Now, there were only the basic needs and desires a person had. No questions asked. If Sho wanted him to stay that night Kei would stay that night. With hands together and fingers entwined they made their way to the master bedroom.

There was no clear dominance in either of them, no clear submissiveness. As with everything they did together, they were equal partners. What one earned, the other received. What one lost, the other surrendered. All exchanges were fair, calculated. Neither ever raised a complaint. And if one wanted main control, he could take it. Kei did.

Sho lay down on the bed, beckoning his companion onto him. Kei's fingers worked at the buttons of Sho's shirt, his concentration fixated there until the last one released from the cloth, and he pushed the fabric off the younger man's shoulders, sliding it from his arms. Neatly folding the material, he set it carefully aside instead of tossing it carelessly.

Sho took the hem of the other's top and drew it over his head, imitating what Kei had done with his own before he dropped his hands to unbuckle Kei's belt and unzip his jeans.

Lowering himself down, Kei set his lips against Sho's neck, tasting the golden skin. His mouth went across the extent then onto his throat. He felt Sho stiffen when he parted his lips to scrap the sharp fangs below his Adam's apple. Being so close to the all-too-vulnerable flesh made him able to feel Sho's blood flowing through its veins, able to hear the quickened pulses of his heart. If he bit Sho, the boy would not resist him. Rather, he would allow him to drink for he trusted his life to Kei.

Yet, the vampire drew back, kissing the dip in Sho's collarbone as he tugged the older man's pants down and stripped him of the under-layer, having done the same to himself. For a moment they lay flush against each other, basking in the light warmth their naked bodies radiated.

Kei let his eyes burn along the other's solid form. Sho was beautiful, no other word for it. His brunette hair splayed over the pillows, braids twisted with a few lying loosely across the broad shoulders. In turn, the boy's own brown eyes were studying Kei, whose knees rested at each of his hips.

With the smallest of smirks, Kei arched his back, causing his hips to dig into the one beneath him, creating a heated fiction with their bare skin. A mix of a gasp and moan rumbled from the back of Sho's throat as he ground back up against the other. His palms glided upward, starting at Kei's flat stomach to inch to the ribcage, fingers tracing the pectorals of his chest, then further to the curved shoulder. Sho pushed himself up and twisted his torso to lean over and kiss the tattooed ink peeking from Kei's shoulder blades.

As the boy lay back once more, his legs wound around Kei's waist, arms locked around his neck with fingertips brushing the lines of the angel wings. One of Kei's hands slid low between their bodies so he could slowly guide himself into joining with Sho. Sho's eyes clenched shut and his nails buried in Kei's flesh at the sear of the intrusion. Millimeter by millimeter he slid inside, his arms snaked about his partner's long slender form to keep them close in comfort. Sho's buried his face in the crook of Kei's neck, his breath hitching while Kei's fingertips soothed random patterns in the small of his back.

They both stayed still, neither paying attention to how long it was for. They were involved in another task: the intimacy of how close they were. They breathed together, enveloped in each other's company for they were, at that moment, one. They were connected, joined, linked to one another.

When Sho's parted lips pressed the gentlest of butterfly kisses to Kei's skin, the vampire began to move. It was slow, an inching of growing further apart then closer together. Sho's flesh gleamed in the dim lighting, the beginnings of sweat droplets forming on his abdominals. Kei could smell the younger boy's blood, the overpoweringly sweet aroma flooding and consuming him just like the hot, tight heat.

They shifted together, both seeking to bring pleasure, not for himself, but for the other. Again and then Sho would emit a strangled groan as Kei struck the specific nerves inside of him, or a heavenly ripple would shudder through Kei's spine. It stayed slow, like their kissing, like their tongues that met to waltz between their mouths.

Sho let a hushed murmur reach his lover's ears and Kei leaned forward to adjust their angle, sinking deeper, firmer into the other, receiving a moan of approval. As it reaching it had been, their climax was slow. Sho arched his back first, whispering Kei's name while white ribbons decorated their stomachs. A light smile settled a place on Kei's lips as he sought a final kiss, a last sensual thrust being all that he needed to give Sho his fulfillment.

A sigh of content left him as Kei set a hand on the side of Sho's face, pecking his left cheek as he withdrew and rose from the bed, returning momentarily with a warm, damp hand towel to wash them, the fabric taking red hue when Kei ran it gently over Sho's thighs. After cleaning the boy he turned it over and folded it, repeating the actions to himself. He left then once more to rinse the cloth in cold water in the bathroom, placing it away before he strode back into the bedroom where Sho was waiting for him under drawn blankets.

Kei slid under them to the comfort of the other's presence and Sho pressed close to the vampire. Arms bound tight around his nude warmth, his head laid on a curved shoulder, braids splayed over the pillows and older man's chest. "Kei..." he called sleepily.

"_Nani_?"

"You'll stay?" Sho begged, his vibrant eyes closed, his lean body relaxed, lips parted as he breathed slowly through them.

Kei didn't answer but turned his head and gently pressed his lips to the side of Sho's face. Sho was still just a child, no matter how much He'd grown up. Still a child clinging to contact and comfort, but the child was quickly aging, maturing. The child had fallen in love and he was separating him from that. Kei knew Yi-Che had a crush on him, but he also knew she was equally fond of Sho. And while he harbored no romantic feelings for her that child, that precious child did. He loved Sho in all ways possible and respected Yi-Che at the highest level. They were good for each other.

Sho's breathing evened and the grip he had on Kei loosened. The vampire looked at his sleeping companion, admiring the handsomely rugged features that were so soft-set in his rest. Scars stood out pale on Sho's arms and chest, memories of unsuccessful jobs. They were such a natural part that Kei had never noticed them before. They fitted Sho, somehow, fitted in so well with his body.

And suddenly that child wasn't a child anymore. Sho was a man, one with a life before him, a long and healthy one. He was no longer dependant on anyone other than himself. Sho had grown up a long time ago. Kei had been the one unable to let go.

Slowly and carefully, Kei slid out of Sho's limp embrace and from the bed. Off the nightstand he took his clothes, sliding into his pants and tugging on his shirt. Sho couldn't keep living Kei's life.

Glancing back at the one in the bed, unmoved, his golden body half-covered by the sheets, Sho never appeared more adult to Kei. Without stopping a moment to lean over to press a kiss to Sho's flushed cheek, without taking a few seconds to quietly whisper unheard love words into his ear, without tucking the blankets in around the sleeping man, Kei left. Unaware that he was facing nine years of broken solitude, unaware that the next time he saw Sho would be behind prison separations, he paused at the bedroom door only to snatch a half-empty pack of cigarettes from the drawer top.

* * *

(A third part is in consideration upon request of other readers. If you would like a continuation please speak up and address this opinion, and it will be taken into process. Arigato.

Comments are the love)


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